In a wire electric discharge machine, a wire electrode, which is fed relatively to a workpiece, is generally supported on a wire electrode in a predetermined electrode feed path by means of upper and lower guides that are located above and below the workpiece, respectively. In order to support the wire electrode stably, as is generally known, the wire electrode is three-point-supported by means of a guide groove of a fixed guide portion and a movable guide member, which is opposed to the fixed guide portion so as to enable to get close to and away from the same. Since both these guide portions, subject to sliding friction with the wire electrode, are susceptible to wear, they are conventionally formed of a wear-resistant material, such as sapphire.
The conventional guide of this type does not, however, have satisfactory wear resistance yet, and cannot therefore resist prolonged use, thus requiring troublesome replacement work with relatively high frequency. Conventionally, moreover, the guide portions are fixed to a main body of the guide by staking, for example. On account of restrictions on the fixing technique, the guide portions, made of sapphire or some other expensive material, must inevitably be relatively large-sized. In consequence, it is hard to lower the costs of the guide.